The Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 ($149.99 direct) is one of a small but growing group of inkjets challenging the conventional wisdom about the relative merits of inkjets and lasers. Quite simply, it scores better than some lasers at both speed and cost per page, precisely the things that lasers are supposed to be best at. That, plus the low price compared to color lasers, plus features like the built-in duplexer for printing on both sides of a page, wired and WiFi network support, and more, makes it a potentially better choice than a laser for a reasonably large percentage of micro and small offices. It also makes the WP-4020 an Editors' Choice.

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In some ways, the WP-4020 is the next step up from the Epson WorkForce 60 ($129.99 direct, 4 stars), another Editors' Choice that's also aimed at business use. In addition to being a bit more expensive than the WorkForce 60 , however, the WP-4020 offers faster speed; better paper handling, with both a 250 sheet tray and 80 sheet tray; and a lower cost per page. The difference adds up to making the WP-4020 more appropriate than the WorkForce 60 for heavier-duty printing.

One other feature worth mention is support for Epson Connect Email Print. If the printer is directly attached to a network, using either a wired or WiFi connection, you can register it on Epson's Web site and get an email address assigned to it. You can then print a document and email cover letter from any device with an email program, and from anywhere you happen to be, by sending an email to the printer with the document attached.

Epson says the printer also supports printing through the cloud with Google Cloud Print and printing from iOS devices over a WiFi connection with Apple AirPrint. The printer doesn't come with setup instructions for either option, but you can find them on Epson's Web site.

Setup and SpeedSetting the WP-4020 up is mostly standard fare, but it's worth mention that the printer is large for an inkjet. If you caught just a quick glimpse of it, you could easily mistake it for a large personal laser, thanks to the box-like shape and a size that verges on being too big to comfortably share a desk with, at 11.2 by 18.1 by 16.5 inches (HWD). The only thing that gives it away as an inkjet is the placement of the output tray. It's just above the input tray, near the bottom front, instead of being on top where you'd find it on a laser.

I connected the WP-4020 to a wired network for my tests and printed from a Windows Vista system. The speed was more than impressive. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) it came in at an effective 5.6 pages per minute (ppm). As one point of reference, the WorkForce 60 seemed impressively fast at 4.1 ppm. More significant, the WP-4020 was also faster than comparable color laser-class printers, including, for example, the Editors' Choice Dell 1250c Color LED Printer (4 stars). Photo speed was also acceptably fast, averaging 1 minute 12 seconds for a 4 by 6.

Output QualityThe printer's output quality is less impressive than its speed, but the text and graphics are easily good enough for most business purposes, and the photos are much higher quality than most businesses need.

In addition to offering reasonably high quality, the text on plain paper is far more water resistant than you'd expect for inkjet output on plain paper. In my tests it withstood water as well as laser output. Graphics output was just a touch lower quality than most inkjet printers, primarily because of some banding in the default mode. Even so, it's easily good enough for any internal business need. And as with text, graphics on plain paper was as water resistant as laser output in my tests.

Photo output qualified as true photo quality, which is much better than most businesses need, but a nice extra for those that do, such as real estate offices. Similarly, if your print needs at a home office are heavy duty enough to justify getting the WP-4020, the photo quality will let you use it in the dual role of home and home office printer.

One last important feature is the low cost per page I've already mentioned. Epson doesn't make any cost per page claims, but if you look up the prices for the cartridges and the claimed yields, the running cost works out to 1.6 cents for a monochrome page and 7.7 cents for a color page. That's not only a lot lower than most inkjets, it's lower than most low-cost lasers offer. In short, not only can the WP-4020 save money on the initial price compared with buying a comparable laser, it costs less to run too.

There's no question that the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 has a lot going for it: fast speed, good paper handling, low initial cost, low running cost, and output quality that's easily good enough for most business use. What most stands out about it, however, is that it can give you most of the benefits of a personal color laser with the initial price of a personal mono laser, and a lower running cost than either. If you're considering a laser for your small office, don't buy one until you take a close look at the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 as well.

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M. David Stone is an award-winning freelance writer and computer industry consultant. Although a confirmed generalist, with writing credits on subjects as varied as ape language experiments, politics, quantum physics, and an overview of a top company in the gaming industry. David is also an expert in imaging technologies (including printers, monitors, large-screen displays, projectors, scanners, and digital cameras), storage (both magnetic and optical), and word processing. He is a recognized expert on printers, well known within the industry, and has been a judge for...
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